Sophie McDowell

Name: Sophie McDowell

Gender: Female

Age: 18

Grade: 12

School: Aurora High School

Hobbies and Interests: Singing (School Choir), Guitar, Tap Dancing, Painting (Art Club)

Appearance: Sophie stands at about 5'7" and weighs around 135 pounds, making her fairly slim but not too skinny. The rest of her body is fairly average, with small breasts, milky white skin, and small hands and feet. Her face is oval shaped, with bright blue eyes, a somewhat sharp nose, and round cheeks. Sophie doesn't like to wear makeup, so for the most part she will only have some acne concealer on and only put on lipstick or mascara if she is going to an important event. Her curly hair is a light blonde color and falls to her waist. Most of the time, Sophie will tie it in a loose ponytail or a messy bun to make it easier to manage, although it still can get very tangled and require lots of time spent combing and washing it.

For clothing, Sophie tends to dress very casually. Most of the time, she will wear a sundress that will end just past the knees. Her clothing is usually in bright colors such as blues, greens, and yellows. She also likes to wear a few different types of bracelets and necklaces, usually wearing several bracelets at a time. She also likes to wear a vest or small jacket over her dress. She will wear boots and stockings in the winter time, but when it is warmer, she prefers to wear brown sandals. She also likes to tie her hair back with bandannas and ribbons of many colors. If she doesn't have to wear shoes, she will go barefoot, although she really only spends her time barefoot if she is at home or on clean grass, since she is aware of how dirty certain places can be.

On the day of the trip, Sophie was wearing a purple sundress with an open brown vest over the dress and brown sandals on her feet. She was also wearing an orange bandanna tying her hair back and several multicolored beaded bracelets around her wrists. Around her neck is a necklace made with a black string chain and turquoise gem at the end, an eighteenth birthday present.

Biography: Sophie Colette McDowell was born on December 15, 1993 to Joanne and Lucas McDowell. Sophie was their fourth child, having three older brothers. Kenneth is eight years older than her and is a medical student at Stanford. Joseph is six years older than her and works at a newspaper in Tacoma. Wallace is only two years older than her and is a business student at Seattle University. Sophie would not be the last child for the McDowells. Five years after Sophie was born, her sister Lindsay was born. A year after that, twins Carrie and Laurie were born.

The McDowells live in a large but comfortable house. Joanne is a vice president at a local bank and earns most of the living for the family. Lucas quit his job as a manager for a paper company and started his own gardening store. For the most part, the McDowells have lived comfortably, although a house with seven children could sometimes get pretty loud and disruptive. Sophie's parents would sometimes find themselves working long hours, so she found that her older brothers would have to look after her and her sisters. Because of this, Sophie found herself somewhat clinging to her parents, trying to be close to them whenever she could. Sophie isn't as clingy as she was as a little girl, but she will try to spend as much time with her parents as she can, whether that involves volunteering at her dad's store or going shopping with her mother.

For most of her early childhood, Sophie was a bright and happy child. Even though her brothers would occasionally pick on her, she learned to ignore their teasing and try to grow from it, especially since they were in charge most of the time and she would have to respect their authority if her parents were away. Sophie found herself somewhat closer to her younger sisters, as the three of them would look up to her and she enjoyed playing with them. Although the McDowell children were in a wide range of ages, Sophie never found too much trouble getting along with any of them, although she did have trouble connecting to her much older brothers since they would be too old to do some of the childish stuff Sophie would be interested in.

From an early age, Sophie was really interested in being a dancer after watching a Shirley Temple movie. Her mother signed her up for some tap dancing classes when Sophie was six, and she fell in love instantly. She enjoyed the sounds and rhythm of tap dancing, and continues to practice it today, performing in recitals and continuing to take classes.

In elementary school and middle school, Sophie remained the happy, bright child she always was. She had a good number of friends and was kind to people who were good to her. She did a fairly average job with her education, averaging B's and C's in most of her core classes, with her best grades coming from elective courses such as School Choir and art classes. However, there are times where she can be a little dim, such as not noticing sarcasm or how people feel at times.

As Sophie got older, she began to try a few new things. When she was twelve, she asked Joseph to teach her to play guitar. Joseph had been playing acoustic guitar for about four years, and he was glad to teach his sister how to play. Although it was difficult at first, Sophie soon really got into guitar playing. Joseph gave her his old guitar after he left for college, and Sophie treasures the guitar greatly. Most of the music Sophie likes to play includes pop songs and soft rock, although there have been times where she attempted acoustic versions of heavy metal and alternative music.

As a result of guitar playing, Sophie also began to find an interest in singing. She had been in choir for a few years, but decided to try singing while playing guitar. She soon found herself able to do so, and continues to practice her singing and guitar playing as much as she does her tap dancing.

Sophie also found an outlet in painting towards the end of elementary school. She didn't expect to enjoy art that much, but soon found it to be very cathartic, as she could do anything she wanted to a canvass. Sophie for the most part paints in school classes and after school programs. She's mostly fond of painting landscapes and other images of nature, although she also attempts to do portraits. She doesn't try to sell her work, as she thinks she would rather make art for the sake of making art, but she will give away paintings as gifts to her friends and family.

In high school, Sophie began to flourish in a larger environment. She met a lot of people with similar interests to her and easily assimilated into various groups of musicians and artists. Around this point, Sophie began to become a bit more relaxed in her approach to life. Sophie began to dedicate her life to her artistic passions, focusing on honing her craft while balancing her school work and social life. She began busking in Centennial Park and performing in school events.

At home, Sophie's life is pretty good. Her parents are loving and supportive of her various talents. They still want to ensure that she doesn't let her passions distract from her school work, mostly after her grades began to drop in her Freshman year due to her spending a little too much time focused on her tap dancing instead of her schoolwork. Sophie understands their fears, and tries to schedule her hobbies around school work, usually by cutting back on daily practices or moving the time to the weekend. She is afraid of disappointing her parents, so she tries to ensure they don't get mad at her, mostly by doing chores without being asked and trying to avoid confrontations with her siblings.

Sophie's relationship with her siblings is alright as well. Her brothers grew out of their teasing stages and began to treat Sophie with the respect and kindness she gave them. She mostly sees them during holidays though, since they live in various places. She does feel closest to Joseph, as his guitar lessons were a bonding moment between the two. She does see Wallace a bit more, since he attends a school in Seattle, but it's usually only on weekends when he has time.

Sophie's sisters respect her as their big sister. Sophie had to spend most of her life sharing a room with Lindsay, so she's pretty close with Lindsay, and tries to be a confidant for her if she needs one. Sophie is also pretty kind to Carrie and Laurie, and she tries to help them with any issues they have. This can sometimes mean that she can pry in their lives, but Sophie sometimes has to accept that there are barriers between herself and her sisters.

Most people around Sophie will see her as a bright and cheery individual. She almost always has a smile on her face, and treats everyone with plenty of kindness and respect. She tries to get along with anyone she meets, and if the person isn't interested, she simply respects them as an individual. Because of this, Sophie tends to generalize most people and assumes that everyone is good at heart. Most of Sophie's close circle includes other similar artists, such as people involved in school choir or art club. She also gets along well with a few musicians and tries to see many of her classmates at performances and concerts. Anyone who is close to Sophie will find that she is always interested in hearing about their lives and trying to do things with them.

Sophie is still uncertain about her future. She wants to go to an art school, but because of her multiple interests, she finds it hard to choose one over the other. She's currently planning on studying education and art so she can be an art teacher. She was recently accepted to Washington State University and plans to attend there in the Fall.

Advantages: Sophie is naturally kind and helpful to others, so others might be willing to trust her and get along with her. Her years of tap dancing have given her pretty strong legs, so she should have fairly decent stamina. Disadvantages: Her gentle nature might make her easy to deceive and exploit, and her view of others might make it hard for her to accept the actions she sees. Sophie also isn't used to being alone and might have issues being on her own.

Designated Number: Female student No. 035

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Designated Weapon: Monkey Wrench

Conclusion: I guess you could use that to fix- no, you're not mechanically inclined. Maybe you could make- no, you're not really an engineer. Huh. Such a versatile tool, limited in options to 'smack person in head really hard'. I'm kinda sad. - Dennis Lourvey

'The above biography is as written by Laurels. No edits or alterations to the author's original work have been made.'

Evaluations
Handled by: Laurels

Kills: None

Killed By: Summer Simms

Collected Weapons: Monkey Wrench (Assigned Weapon, to Gavin Hunter), Lead Pipe (from Gavin Hunter)

Allies: Alexander de Gaulle, Megan Emerson, Gavin Hunter, Grace Faraday, Finn Grant

Enemies:

Mid-game Evaluation: Sophie's game began near the Captain's Cliffs. She had woken up nearby and had been wandering around the area. She heard a nearby scream and ran towards the sound. She saw Michelle Wexler hanging off the edge of a cliff, and Virgil Jefferson-Davis trying to help. Sophie tried to run closer when she saw her friend Dave Russell approach the duo. Before she could call out to him, Dave hurled himself off the cliff.

After dealing with the intial shock of her friend's suicide, Sophie ran over and helped Virgil and Clayton Leven pull Michelle up. The shock of Dave's death and Michelle's near death caused Sophie to break down in tears. As everyone else went their separate ways, Sophie ran away from the area in tears.

She continued to run until she found herself in the Shipping Yard. She tripped and fell, exhausted from her run. As she cried on the ground, she was discovered by her friend Alexander de Gaulle. Alex helped Sophie calm down as she explained what she saw. The two talked for a bit and decided to travel together.

They soon arrived at the Hotel and sat in the lobby. They met Stacey Mordetsky and had a chat with her. Eventually, the three all retired to the upstairs rooms for the evening. The next morning, the Hotel was declared a Danger Zone, prompting the three to flee. Sophie made it out in time, but realized she left her only pair of shoes, some sandals, in her hotel room.

She and Alex then made their way to the Shopping Center to find new shoes for her to wear. They wandered into the Bed, Bath, and Beyond and discovered Megan Emerson. Megan was still dealing with her murder of Francis St. Ledger, and Alex and Sophie talked to her. Soon, Megan's friend, Gavin Hunter, and Grace Faraday entered the room. After talking for a while, the five all left the Shopping Center together, with Sophie wearing some slippers from the store to replace her sandals.

The next two days were peaceful, with Sophie and the others residing in the Apartment Complexes while Gavin plotted an escape. However, things would change when Sophie realized Gavin was making explosives. She became afraid of being involved in something so dangerous and ran away from the group during the evening. As she ran through the Woods, she realized Alex had followed her. The two reunited and decided to return to the Hotel.

Sophie and Alex got some rest in the Hotel, with Sophie retrieving her sandals. After talking for a bit, the two decided to not return to Gavin's group. Alex suggested they loot the bodies in the Hotel for supplies. A reluctant Sophie agreed, and they moved downstairs.

In the lobby, they met Finn Grant. Finn initially raised his gun at the two, but they managed to prove they weren't playing. The three had a quick chat, Finn revealing that he was waiting for his friend Amaranta Montalvo. Sophie and Alex also checked out the nearby body of Nina Clarke for any supplies. Sophie was nervous to touch the body, so she just grabbed Nina's bag in hopes it had supplies. The three made plans to return to the upstairs rooms.

Just then, Mara entered the lobby, trying to bandage a wound on her hand. Finn went to help her when Summer Simms entered the lobby. Summer and Mara just had an argument in another room, and Summer decided to attack the group. She tossed a pineapple grenade in the room and opened fire. Sophie threw herself to the ground to avoid the gunfire, laying in place in hopes of tricking Summer into thinking she hit her. Unfortunately, the grenade had landed near Sophie's face and exploded, killing her instantly.

Post-Game Evaluation: Well I don't know about you guys, but I'd say Miss McDowell had quite the explosive performance. - ''Josh Baines - Get bent, Baines. - Matt Richards''

Memorable Quotes:

Threads
Below is a list of threads that contain Sophie, in chronological order.

The Past:
 * Ray of Sunshine
 * Improving La Pieta with a Geologist's Hammer

Pre-Game:
 * One Step Forwards, Two Steps Back
 * Improvise!
 * I Played Baseball With My Younger Brother
 * The King of Limbs
 * See with Eyes Unclouded by Hate
 * The Labyrinth
 * As Long as There are Stars Above You
 * Rationally Early
 * Mary Jane's Sanctum
 * Coming Down

V5:
 * Sleep, My Dear
 * Pick Apart the Pieces of Your Heart
 * There Will Be a Short Stopover on the way to Disney Land
 * The Red Shoes
 * I solemnly swear that I am up to no good
 * Mischief Managed
 * By the Time I Get to Phoenix
 * Falling Slowly
 * A Classy Place to Meet

Your Thoughts
''Whether you were a fellow handler in SOTF or just an avid reader of the site, we'd like to know what you thought about Sophie McDowell. What did you like, or dislike, about the character? Let us know here!''
 * Oh, Sophie. I'm going to admit that she wasn't the easiest character for me to write. I feel like she ended up just being a whole lot of half-baked ideas that I never really fleshed out too much other than that she was a generic nice girl who loved doing various types of art. I don't feel like I had any real concrete ideas with her compared to Rachael or Claire. 

Once she got to the island, I don't think I ever really knew what to do with her. She had an interesting start, watching her closest pre-game connection commit suicide. I think that and the next thread were good starts for her, and finding Alex at least gave her a good ally and platonic friend. I thought having her join the escape plot would help give her some direction or at least allow her to bounce off other characters, but that didn't really help, as the multi-shots didn't give her a lot to do, and she quite clearly faded into the background and had little to contribute to the plot. After the crash, I decided to have her just abandon the plot rather than stick around. 

Unfortunately, I still was never able to figure out what to do with her. She had her scenes with Alex, but she started to get repetitive with her thoughts and actions. When Rachael got rolled, I knew swapping was going to happen, as Sophie was the only one of my characters where I couldn't think of what could happen in her next two threads. 

Overall, I didn't hate writing Sophie, but she wasn't as fun or fulfilling as I thought. I probably should have put more time into figuring out an arc for her, but she really just stalled. I think she died at the right time, so I at least feel that works out for her. As she is, I don't think she's going to really be remembered fondly or be representative of me as a handler. She's harmless, but forgettable, and I really think I could have done better. -Laurels 